Renata Lupin
by Savy13
Summary: What life as a Marauder would be like if Remus Lupin was born a girl. Sorry for the bad summery, this is my first story.
1. Renata

**My first story... *crosses fingers* Wish me luck.**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor college student who is not getting paid for this... Please do not sue me.**

Renata Jane Lupin hung close to her parents as she surveyed the chaos surrounding the scarlet Hogwarts Express. She had never imagined herself being there, not even when she received her letter, not even when she had bought her wand. For she knew that if she allowed herself to imagine anything, it would turn into hope, a fragile hope that she knew could be crushed at any second. Her heart beat as fast as a mouse's in her chest as she looked nervously up at her father. John Lupin smiled fondly back down at her.

"It will be alright Renny. Everything has been set with Dumbledore. You be a good girl, alright?" he said.

"And I promise to write everyday." Renny nodded, pulling her father down to kiss his cheek. "Tell mum I love her, okay?"

Mary Lupin, being a muggle, had stayed home since she would have been unable to get onto the platform 9 and 3/4. They had said their goodbyes earlier that day, but never the less, Renny missed her mother being here to send her off.

"Of course I will. Now go on, or it will leave without you." her father smiled, pushing her towards the train. She smiled and ran towards an empty compartment, sticking her head out the window and waving to her father until the train pulled away out of sight. Only then did she sit down and pull out a book for the ride. She only got to the first page of Tolkien when the two black haired boys opened the door.

"Hello," said the more comely of the two with a smile. "Mind if we sit here?"

Renny flushed and nodded her head wordlessly. They were both handsome boys, eyes and faces round with innocence, but an aura full of mischief. Trouble seemed to cling to their clothes. Renata knew right away that she would like them.

"My name is Sirius Black, but don't hold it against me. This here is James Potter." he continued, motioning to the spectacled, messy headed youth beside him. "And you are?"

"Re-Renata Lupin. But my friends call me Renny." she said softly. "And why would I hold your name against you?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Muggle-born?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Half-blood. But I was raised away from magic for the most part." she explained.

"Ah. I come from the 'most ancient and noble house of Black'. They look down their noses at most people, and it tends to scare people off a bit." he explained with a shrug.

"I see. I promise not to hold you to their standards then." she smiled.

"Sirius and I were just discussing hat house we were going to be in. I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor." James said, looking proud at just the thought of his desired house.

"And I want anything but Slytherin." Sirius mumbled bitterly.

"What do you think you will be?" James asked.

"Well, my dad was a Gryffindor, but he reckons I will be in Ravenclaw." I shrugged. "I've always been one for learning as much as I possibly could."

Before the two could respond, there was knock at the door, and it slid open to reveal a sallow looking boy and the prettiest girl Renata had ever seen. She had large bright green eyes, smooth skin, and a head full of shining voluminous red hair. By the look on James' face, he agreed completely.

"Hello, my name is Lily Evans. This is my neighbor and friend, Severus. Severus Snape." she smiled. The group introduced themselves and offered them to sit. They did, although the boy had a look on his face that suggested he was doing something rather unpleasant.

"We were discussing houses." Renny explained.

"Well, I am a muggle- born, but Sev wants us both to be in Slytherin." Lily said with a smile.

"Why?" Sirius snorted. Severus looked up sharply.

"Maybe so I don't have to be stuck with people as arrogant as you." he retorted angrily.

"No need for that..." Renny said with a frown.

"What I don't need is a chit dressed in rags instead of robes pretending to be my mother." Severus snapped. Renata winced, looking down. '_My clothes aren't that bad, just a little secondhand', _she thought. James and Sirius leapt to their feet to defend their new friend.

"Apologize." Sirius snapped at the same time Lily gaped at her friend, gasping,

"Severus!"

"Boys, don't. " Renny said, grabbing their robes. "I'm not worth it."

"Renny, didn't you hear what he said? What he called you?" James asked.

"I can hear perfectly. And thank you for wanting to defend my honor, it's very nobel of you, but I can't allow you to get in trouble because of me." she told them.

"That wasn't very nice, Severus." Lily frowned.

"Not nice at all, Snivellus." James said with a snarl. "You should apologize to the lady."

Severus jumped to his feet in indignation at the name.

"Just for that, Potter, I won't." he said. "Besides, I see no lady here." Then he turned on his heel and left.

"I am so sorry!" Lily said over her shoulder as she ran after her friend. "He isn't very good with people, I am _so_ sorry!" And then she too was gone. Renny looked down at her hands and counted slowly to ten until the tears dissipated.

"Don't listen to him, Renny." Sirius said. She smiled weakly up at the handsome boy. _'What would they do if they knew Severus had been right?'_ Renata wondered. _'I am no lady, I'm not even human. I am monster...'_ She looked at her reflection in the window. Dirty blond hair like her mother, eyes of an unreal ice blue, and a face lined by faint scars, almost unnoticeable if you weren't looking for them. But they were still there, the relics of five years worth of full moons. Renata bit her lip, and jumped when Sirius put an arm around her shoulder. She gave a genuine smile that time. At least for a little while, she could pretend everything was normal.

Several hours later everyone was herded off the train and onto small boats on the lakes edge by the largest man Renata had ever seen. She sat down in the same boat with James and Sirius next to a boy named Amos. When everyone was seated, the giant man yelled,

"Forward!" And the boats moved at his command. Renata was not alone when she gasped at the first sight of the castle. It was right out of a fairy tale, with every window lit as it loomed over them.

"Is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?" Renata whispered, partially to herself, and half to the boy beside her. He could only nod in open mouthed agreement. She was ushered in with the others into the foyer, where she met a young, but stern looking woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and explained the sorting ceremony. Renata felt her heart in her throat as they were taken into the great hall and didn't look up from her own feet as the hat sang it's song. She only paid enough attention to register that Sirius and the pretty girl named Lily were both put into Gryffindor, and the boy she had sat beside, Amos Diggory, had been placed into Hufflepuff. And then before she realized it, it was her name being called. Her entire body shook as she sat on the stool and the patched hat was placed on her head.

"_Ah. Look what we have here. I never had the pleasure of meeting a werewolf before." _The hat said in her ear. Renata bit her lip, ready for the hat to yell for her to be thrown out. Instead, it just chuckled.

"_Please do not think me so prejudiced as that. Where to put you... Loyal and smart, but neither Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, I believe. No, no, your bravery far surpasses any I have seen before. Yes, I know just where to place you, Miss Lupin..._GRYFFINDOR!"

Applause ruptured as the last word was yelled to the school. Renata let out the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. She gasped as she looked around the hall for the first time not being preoccupied by nerves. The golden plates glittered in an ethereal light under a thousand floating candles and a ceiling that looked like the night sky. She took it all in as she moved over to the Gryffindor table in an empty seat across from Sirius and beside Lily. By the end of the sorting, they were joined by several others, including James and a round faced boy named Peter Pettigrew. To Lily's disappointment, Severus had gone to Slytherin. But Renata could not have been happier. She had never eaten so well as she did at that beginning of the year feast, and was very full and sleepy as the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore gave his start of term speech. She shook herself to attention since he had already done so much for her, but was very happy when he ended by warning the students not to go near the newly planted Whomping Willow. Then they were all taken by the prefects to the dorms up behind a portrait of a fat lady all in pink. Renny said goodbye to Sirius, James, and Peter before following Lily and the other first year Gryffindor girls to bed.

She collapsed onto her four poster bed without changing or pulling closed the curtains. Renata smiled up at the ceiling and realized a happy tear had fallen down her cheek. Before she could stop to think what it meant, her eyes closed on their own accord, and she immediately fell asleep.


	2. Marauders

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

Renata caught on quickly in all of her classes, and was so studious that her newly found friends began to call her Professor Lupin in jest. Renny didn't mind. She was too ecstatic about having friends of her own. In the past she had been home schooled, unable to explain her frequent absences and injuries, and they moved far too often for Renny to make any lasting friendships. But she hit it off with Sirius, James, and Peter right away. After the first afternoon of classes, the four friends got together and began writing a long list of pranks they wanted to pull. Renata had never been so mischievous before, and it tickled her now. Being the neatest of the lot, she was voted as scribe, and giggled as she sat in the boys' dorm on James' bed, writing down the boys' silly plans.

"We need a name!" Sirius declared. "A name that one day will be revered throughout Hogwarts and known as the greatest pranksters of all time!"

Renata giggled again at his faux- serious expression.

"A name?" Peter asked, confused.

"Yes!" James agreed. "Something like... like... The Antics!"

"That sounds like a really bad band name." Renata pointed out with a snort.

"How about, The-Three-Greatest-Students-To-Ever-Grace-Hogwarts-And-Their-Beloved-Leader-Sirius-Black?" Sirius grinned.

"Um, hell no." said James, rolling his eyes.

"You're right, too long." Sirius said, pretending to think.

"High-Jinks?" Peter suggested.

"That one actually has potential." James agreed with a nod. "I like the play on words with jinks and magic. It just sounds a little... like grade school."

Renata finally spoke up for being silent.

"The Marauders." she said with conviction. All three boys stopped. As one, they all felt a shiver, knowing that was their name, as if it had been their name all along, and they were just now remembering it.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked in a whisper.

"To maraud is to roam or go around in quest of plunder." Renata explained. They all agreed that the name was perfect, and Renata wrote the name at the top of the list.

But it was two days after the name came around that the true meaning of their group came out. The three boys made their way through the portrait hole one morning, laughing hysterically as one, falling over each other. Renata was in the common room at the time, and was surprised by their entrance.

"What is so funny?" she asked, feeling slightly put out.

"W-we just pranked Snivellous!" Sirius said though his laughter. "We pulled a prank on him, making him spew slugs every time he tries to speak!"

They seemed rather off put when Renata didn't laugh with them.

"It's not very original, but we've only been in school half a week. We will get better." James assured her.

"We haven't been taught that spell yet." Renata said softly. "You would of had to look it up. You were planning this."

"Yup!" Said Sirius proudly, too young to recognize the danger signals women emit when they are angry.

"So you planned a prank, and didn't tell me about it until after it was over?" Renata asked, eyes narrowing. The boys cowed at that point, finally grasping their folly.

"Oh, um, well, we didn't know... we didn't want you to get in trouble, Ren..." Sirius tried in a soft voice.

"We are the Marauders!" Renata shrieked loudly, too close to a full moon to retain her temper and keep her normally calm persona. "Not the Marauders and their Damsel! You can't just exclude me because I'm a girl, or I don't live in your dorm the whole time!" She pulled out her wand and charmed all three of them so that their hair was a different neon color: orange for Peter, pink for James, and green for Sirius. And then she stormed off downstairs, fuming.

"Renata, wait!" called a voice. She turned to see Lily running after her, trying to look stern through her grin. "You shouldn't have done that Ren, but oh! it was brilliant! Black looked like he was about to have a conniption when you hexed his precious hair Slytherin green!"

Renata smiled back at her roommate, but it quickly slid off her face.

"Oh, no, Lily, what have I done! They will be so mad at me!" Her breathing grew fast and irregular as she thought about losing her only friends. Lily saw this and placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"Calm down, Renny, it will be okay. They love pranks. They may not like it, but they will forgive you, I'm certain of it. But for now lets just get some breakfast, okay?"

The level-minded red-head steered her roommate to the Great Hall and insured that she got something to eat. When the rest of the Marauders came in, Renata looked up fearfully, but to her relief they did not look angry. In fact, they looked rather remorseful as they sat around her.

"Ren? We're sorry." Peter began.

"We didn't mean to leave you out, but that is exactly what we did." James said sullenly.

"We weren't acting like Marauders. Even though we've only known each other for a couple of days, we are friends, and friends stick together." Sirius agreed. "Will you forgive us?"

"Only if you can forgive me for hexing you." Renata blushed. "I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me..."

"Are you kidding? This is a great piece of magic! Imagine if we can use it on the Slytherins!" Sirius said happily. Renny laughed and canceled the charm so their hair went back to normal. Within a matter of minutes the incident was forgotten, but the change it inspired stayed. Renata was unofficially one of the boys. She often stayed in their dorm, and fell asleep there at least twice a week. Lily greatly disapproved at first, claiming that it was un-lady like, but dropped it when she realized Renata loved her boys too much to care.

Only the full moon cut into her happiness. Madam Pomphery had taken Renata to the Whomping Willow her first full moon, showing her the knot needed to freeze the violent tree, and the passage beyond. The Shrieking Shack was rather dusty, but Renata could see it had once been a fine house. Little of the furniture remained, but there was enough for Renata to tear into when she didn't have her full mind. The young girl stripped and gave her clothes to the nurse to place out in the tunnel out of harms way. Then the matron bid the girl good luck, and disappeared. Fifteen minutes later, agony began to tear at her bones as they contorted, and her flesh stretched, and she transformed into a monster.

When Ren went back to school a day later, she prepared herself to hear the music. She saw the boys come in to Transfiguration and began the countdown in her head. _'Three...two...one...'_

"Renata!" All boys cried. They sat down around her and began asking questions. She told them beforehand that her mother was ill, and she feigned off several answers, bugging silently that they would just drop it.

"You look horrible Ren." Sirius said finally. "You didn't catch what your mother has, did you?"

The girl shook her head with a fake smile.

"Oh, don't worry about that, it isn't contagious. I'm just tired is all, it's very stressful going though all of this..."

The boys nodded and didn't bring it up again that day. Renata sighed under her breath and thanked her lucky stars she had evaded that silver bullet.


	3. Discovery

**Disclaimer: Do we seriously have to put these up every time? I do not own this.**

Slowly Renata started running out of excuses at the full moons. Her friends were all suspicious, and all she could do was hope they didn't turn her away because they didn't trust her. But the three Gryffindor troublemakers stayed her friends throughout it all, and they often called upon her knowledge to help them in their mischief. Their questions never lasted long, and Renata found she truly enjoyed her year at Hogwarts. She was horrible at flying and Potions, but did her best in everything, and found herself in the top ten students of the year. Besides the Marauders, Ren had also found a friend in Lily. Unfortunatly, Severus always came between them with his constant insults when out of Lily's hearing range. Therefore Lily and Ren always remained somewhere between distant friends and close aquanitinces.

"It seems strange to be going home for so long." she said to her roommate as they packed that end of the school year. "I mean, I do miss my family, but I am going to miss being here too..."

"I know the feeling." Lily assured her. "I don't think I can stand Petunia's snide remarks for two months."

But the summer was also the best Renata had ever had. The boys had planned a three week long stay at the Potter's, and although niether James' parents or her own thought it approprite for her to stay over, they did insist she come every day to be with the boys. They had the time of their lives spending the days out on the nearby lake and playing Quidditch in the feild. Renata and Sirius were on one team, and James and Peter were always on the other in order to keep things even. James was the best player out of all of them, and Peter was even worse than Ren. Even so, James ended up winning more than half the time. He was planning on trying out for Seeker when term started up again, so Renny was not the only one shamelessly counting down the days until September the first.

Their second year was not much different. The teachers had prayed in vain the Griffyndors had done some maturing over the summer break, but it was a fasle hope. The Marauders were back, and mischivous as ever. They set all the Potions dissecting frogs loose their first week, made an ice skating rink out of the Great Hall around Christmas, and gave everyone in the castle bunny ears at Easter. Peter overheard McGonnagal telling another teacher that even she was impressed at that widescale Transfiguration. Of course, they did little things as well, such as sending tripping hexes at Slytherins, tormenting Snape, and throwing dungbombs at Miss Victoria, Flich's cat. Everything was perfect. Until the full moon of late April.

Renata went up to the boys, who were playing Exploding Snap instead of srudying for finals.

"Hey, guys. My mother is-"

"Sick." James and Sirius said together. Ren blushed.

"Er, yeah. So I will see you tomorrow afternoon?" She asked. They nodded listlessly, and continued to ignore her. She felt a pang as they gave her the cold shoulder, but couldn't say she didn't see it coming. They knew she was hiding something, and she knew that she should distance herself from them now. That way, they would not feel as betrayed, and she would not feel as heartbroken. But her heart pained just thinking about it, and she couldn't imagine that it could feel any worse. But she was smart enough to know that this was the least of the pain she would feel.

Renny banished the thought to the back of her mind. Tonight would be fraught with enough pain already. She stripped from her clothes when they reached the Shrieking Shack. Her clothes were torn enough without having to deal with transformations.

"I will be back when the sun rises. I am going to spell the door shut now." Madam Pomfery told her. Renny only nodded. She knew what would happen, she had already spent seventeen moons in the Shrieking Shack. The school nurse disappeared, and left Renata to the mercy of the moon. She waited silently for half an hour before the first tremors wracked through her body. Renny was no stranger to this sort of pain, and knew it was easier just to give in. No screams, only howls of desperation and pain as the monster inside her clawed it's way to the surface. Once her body had ripped itself apart to reveal the monster within, she lay still for several seconds. Then her nose twitched. There was no prey nearby, one sniff could tell her that, and the wolf knew by now that there was no way out of the prison she was kept in. Without a minute more wasted, the wolf turned her violent attentions onto herself.

Renata woke the next morning in the hospital wing. Her torso had been torn open, she could tell by the dull ache. Looking under her dressing gown she found three new pink scars she had given herself. Her leg was throbbing too, and she could tell that she would have a limp for several days.

"How am I going to explain this?" She sighed to herself.

"I was wondering that myself." said the disembodied voice of Sirius. Renata squeaked as James pulled back his invisibility cloak to reveal the rest of the Marauders.

"What are you doing here?" Renata cried, half in shock, half in procrastinating giving an answer.

"That is exactly what we were going to ask you." Peter shrugged. "You said you were going to see your mother."

"Uh- yes, well, um-"

"Save it. We know you are a werewolf, Ren." James snapped. Renata felt like crying, but swallowed her tears. It was over. They wouldn't forgive her for betraying them, and flee like the monster she was. They would tell her roommates, the House, the school... She would be kicked out and sent home.

"A what? You guys are crazy!" she said with a laugh.

"Are we?" Sirius asked. "Catch."

He tossed her a Sickle, and out of reflex Renny reached out and caught it. She dropped it a second later with a cry of pain as it burnt her hand.

"Damn it, Sirius, was that necessary?" James asked, taking a step towards the bed. Renny flinched, and he stopped his advance as the tears started to pour down her cheeks.

"Ren? I'm sorry..." Sirius said softly. "I didn't mean... I didn't want..."

"Please don't tell anyone! I know you hate me now, but please don't tell anyone, Hogwarts is my only chance at being normal, my only chance to be a witch, please..." she sobbed.

"We don't hate you Renny. We could never hate you." Peter said softly.

"We're Marauders." James agreed. "Together forever."

"But... But I'm a monster..." Renny said confused.

"Our Ren? A monster? You clearly haven't met my mother." Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "You aren't a monster. You just have..."

"A time of the month?" Peter asked.

"A furry little problem?" James supplied with a grin.

"Exactly." Sirius laughed. Renata blushed, but smiled as well.

"You really are the best friends I could ask for." she said, pulling them all into a hug. It lasted for several minutes before she finally let them go. "But if you refer to it as my time of the month again, I will end you." she threatened with a grin.

"Feisty little wolf." Sirius laughed.

They pulled up some chairs to sit in, and they emptied their pockets of sweets to share. She took a chocolate frog and closed her eyes at the heavily taste.

"So tell us more about this map idea you had, Ren." Peter said.


	4. Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

**Bit of a time jump here... but honestly, I am nowhere talented enough to write years of fillers on exactly what the Marauders did during their first few years. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned this, it would not be here.**

By the time the Marauders reached their fifth year, they had made history among Hogwarts pranksters. They made their names out of annoying Filtch, terrorizing Slytherins, assisting James in his fruitless pursuits of Lily Evans, and generally driving Minnie [McGonogall] crazy as she ran after them in circles.

Renny's prefect badge was another cause of great mirth when she presented it on the train ride back to school.

"Brilliant." Sirius laughed. "Making a Marauder a prefect. What on earth are they playing at?"

"They probably think I will keep you lot in line." Renny laughed. "They think I'm the good one. Who would suspect I have the brains of the outfit?"

"We resent that." James grinned.

"Resent what you wish, you know you couldn't have pulled off half of your pranks without me. But back to the matter hand. We need to sign the map." Renny said as she procured it from her bag.

The year before, Renata had put the finishing touches on their magical map, now only able to be opened and closed by those who knew the password. All that remained was to give it a name and credit the authors.

"No problem. We have our nome de plumes ready." Sirius grinned. "Write after me, please, Ren." He waited long enough for her to pull out a quill and ink before dictating, "Missus Moony and Messers Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs-"

"What kind of names are those?" Renata interjected.

"Don't interrupt." Sirius said before continuing. "Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present, THE MARAUDERS MAP."

Renny finished writing and looked up at them again.

"Now where in Merlins name did you get those names? Moony is rather obvious, but what about the others?" she asked.

"And ruin a surprise three years in the making?" Peter smiled. Renny was stupefied for several seconds, her mouth slightly open as she processed his words.

"Three _years_?" she finally asked softly.

"Indeed, our pretty little Moony." Sirius smiled. "You have no idea how much self control it took to keep quiet until now. But tonight after the feast we can finally reveal it to you."

Ren was stunned. What surprise could possibly be worth working on in silence for three years? Sirius couldn't stay quiet for three minutes! And nobody kept a secret worse than Peter. Her mind stayed on the subject for the entire ride, and on into the night throughout the feast. It was only after curfew, when she had finished escorting the new first years back to the dorms, that she snuck back down to the common room. Her roommates would not surprised anymore when she wasn't there in the mornings. Her habit of staying with the Marauders on some nights was widely known, although Lily disapproved more now than ever since they were older. Several of the girls (with Lily at the helm) sat her down one time in fourth year, telling her how things would look, and how much trouble she would be in if she got caught. For awhile, she was also subject to several of the upperclassmen making lude suggestions about what went on during the nights she stayed with the boys. But nobody messed with the Marauders, and those that did learned thier lesson soon enough. All of Gryffindor knew to keep their mouths shut, and the arrangement never left the common room. Dispite the grief it gave her, Ren had no intention of stopping. It made it easy to explain her absence on full moons and whenever else they dabbled in midnight excursions.

The others were already there with James' cloak in hand when Ren came downstairs.

"Do you have the map?" Peter whispered. She nodded and pulled it out of her cloak pocket before tapping it with her wand and whispering,

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The others looked over her shoulder at the few figures still up and moving about.

"The way looks clear." Sirius said. "Come on, let's get a move on."

"We are getting too big for this cloak to cover the four of us." Renny noted as she looked down at their exposed feet. They would just have to hope the map kept them away from anyone who would see, and that the darkness would do the rest. She followed the boys up to a southern tower where none of the rooms had been used for years. Ren let herself be locked away with the others in a dusty room that had perhaps once been set aside for staff use. Sirius and Peter sat her down on the old couch while James locked the door and silenced the room.

"Alright, now what is this about?" Renata asked in an excited whisper. Sirius bowed at the waist in front of her.

"My dear Moony, I am proud to introduce you to Messers. Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." he said. Then with one look at his fellows, the three shifted seamlessly into animals. Ren gasped and jumped to her feet. In Peters place was a sleek grey rat, much more healthy and beautiful than any of the other common beasts she had seen. Where James had been was a handsome stag with a crown of large twelve point antlers. She couldn't help but run her hand over the bridge of his nose as she looked into his large hazel eyes. Then at last she turned to Sirius, whose animal made her laugh out loud. He was a large black dog whose head easily reached her waist, but at the moment his tongue was out of his mouth, with his front close the ground, backside in the air and tail wagging enthusiastically. He yipped at her reaction and jumped up, knocking her over and licking her face happily.

"Si-Sirius! Sirius, stop!" she laughed. He stopped licking her face and barked happily again.

"What is all of this?" she asked. Sirius turned back, and for a moment they paused as they realized he was on top of her. Both of their faces grew red as he pulled himself off with a cough. James and Peter, who were now both human as well, sniggered quietly.

"You became Animagi? Why?" Renny asked again.

"For you." James grinned. "Sirius had the idea, and he and I looked it up. Werewolves are only dangerous to humans. This way we can help you on full moons without dying, or becoming infected."

"But- but you can't! It's too dangerous!" she protested. Three heads shook back at her.

"We knew you would say that." Sirius said. "We worked since second year on this, and you are not going to stop us now. Please, we will try it once, and if it doesn't work we will never go with you again."

Ren bit her lip.

"Please Moony?" James asked. She looked up into three pairs of pleading eyes.

"How can say no after all you have done?" she sighed.

No more than two weeks later, Renata was taken to the Shrieking Shack by Madam Pomfrey. The second the matron was gone, Ren wrapped herself with one of the moth eaten blankets the wolf had before complied into a nest.

"Boys? The coast is clear." she called upstairs. Her other Marauders had come earlier to ensure they didn't get locked out by Madam Pomfrey's careful spells. All three came gingerly down the creaking stairs.

"Uh, Moony?" Sirius blushed. "Why don't you have anything on?"

"It would be torn during transformation." she explained. "You lot have seen the state of my robes, I doubt they could survive anything as strenuous as my transformation."

"Will it be bad?" Peter whimpered.

"For me? I am used to it by now. But for you? Yes, I imagine it will be very disturbing." she said softly. "It won't be long now. Change into your animals, quickly, so I won't attack you."

They did as she asked without question. Renata on the other hand, turned her back to them, looking out of a small section of a window that wasn't boarded over. The first wave of pain came, and she tightened her grip on the blanket.

"It is starting." she whispered.


	5. Lunacy

**Disclaimer: Don't own it**

The wolf smelled blood as she opened her eyes. One pack animal and two prey animals. They stood still in plain sight, waiting for her to move. She crouched to attack, but a small part of her brain screamed, '_Friends! Pack mates!' _ The wolf paused and sniffed. They did have the smell of pack mates on them. Ignoring the two prey-animals, she stepped up to the black dog. It lowered itself to the floor in submission, exposing it's neck with a whimper. Moony sniffed it again, then placed her mouth around the male's snout, asserting dominance. The male stayed very still until Moony released him, but then he yapped tentatively and wagged his tail, inviting her to play like a pup. Moony considered ignoring him, but gave in. There would be no hunt tonight, and it would be a welcome change. She wagged her tail back at the pup, who responded to the gesture by jumping up and pulling gently at her ear. She gave a playful snap at him, and they wrestled and played until dawn broke.

Renata woke with a wince that morning, but feeling better than she ever had after a full moon. James was standing over her with closed eyes, covering her with a blanket. She was mortified that her friends must have seen her, but thanked him with a blush.

"No problem, Moons." he said gently with a wink. A noise sounded from the tunnel, and the boys quickly ran to hide upstairs. Not a moment later, Madam Pomfrey was coming through the trapdoor.

"My, my, Miss Lupin, I have never seen you so unaffected! What on earth did you do?"

"I-I don't know... I can't remember..." she lied.

"Well, whatever it was, thank Merlin for it." Madam Pomfrey said, handing the girl back her robes and escorting her back up to the castle. Renata had to endure a quick once over in the hospital wing, but was soon released to her friends who were now waiting outside. They all looked tired, especially Sirius, but had wide grins on their faces. Ren smiled as well, and threw her arms around them all.

"Oh thank you, thank you so much... What happened?"

"It was mostly Padfoot, here." James said. "Moony took to him right away, played with him all night long."

"Oh, I can't thank you boys enough..." She said again. Then suddenly she had an idea to thank them, or James at least. She grinned, grabbing him by the wrist.

"Follow me!" Ren laughed, and all of us ran into the Great Hall, where breakfast was underway. Renata usually stayed away from most flamboyant mayhem, preferring to be the invisible force behind it all, especially when it came to Lily Evans. She had to live with the girl after all. But today, all caution was thrown to the wind. Renny walked up to the bench directly across from Lily, and stood up on it. Most of the Hall fell quiet, thinking that the girl had lost a bet, or was acting on a dare. Neither were rare when it came to the Marauders. What surprised most people was the happy look on her face that told them it was niether.

"Lily Evans," She said loudly. "I am here to say that James Potter is one of the three greatest men alive, and you would be lucky to date him. And if you can't see that, I am not sure you deserve him."

Lily seemed shocked, if only for the fact that her friend seemed to be doing this of her own violation, without prompting from James or the others, since they looked surprised as she was. But they were Marauders, and quickly recovered. James soon was smirking and running his fingers through his hair.

"So how about it, Evans?" he asked. Lily snapped out of her stupor to snarl at him.

"Not even for Renata, Potter."

There was a smattering of laughter, and slowly everyone returned to their breakfast. James recovered from Lily's rejection quickly, desensitized from the years and his firm belief that she would see reason one day. He knew Ren did not think she would be able to persuade Evans that way, but recognized the gift for what it was: open and unconditional support and love.

"Hey, what about Peter and I?" Sirius asked. "What do we get?"

"Oh! No, I'm fine." Peter said shyly, looking away. Renata smiled at the boy gently, and took his face in her hands, kissing both cheeks. He was a bright red when she pulled away. Then she turned and did the same thing to Sirius. He was a similar shade to Peter, but what made it all the more astonishing was that Sirius hardly ever blushed, not when it came to girls. He was a heartbreaker, smooth and suave at all times. The two pairs of blue eyes met, and nor did they pull away, her hands remaining on his face. Neither of them noticed they had the attention of the Great Hall, or Peter's incredulous, gaping face, or Lily and James share a rare serious moment as they gave each other a knowing look. A girl nearby gave a loud cough, and the couple were startled back into reality, each taking a step away from each other, red faced again. They stood, not knowing what to do for a minute, before sitting down to eat. James was trying and failing to hide his grin.

"What?" Sirius snapped. It was the wrong thing to say under the circumstances, seeing as James was never shy about teasing.

"Padfoot and Moony, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-OUCH!" He sang, interupted by a sharp kick from afor mentioned Moony. His small reprieve with Lily over, she gave him a venomous stare.

"Will you ever grow up?" she asked.

"No," The other three Marauders said in unison.

"Hey!" He protested. "This isn't about me. This is about dear Pads and Moons having the hots for each other. Are you going to go out?"

"James!" Lily protested, "You can't force them together. They need to figure it out on their own."

"What's to figure out? He likes her, she likes him. What more is there?"

Lily rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like "Men!" Renata personally was with Lily on this one. She loved all the Marauders like brothers, and needed to figure out if she really did like Sirius more than that. Although she had a pretty good idea already. Nobody had ever looked at her like that before. But if she was wrong, it could mess up everything the Marauders had. She lifted her eyes to Sirius and saw he was looking at her as well.

"Well, I for one don't want to stay here while everyone is laughing at my expence." He said softly. "Want to-er- go for a walk?"

Renata nodded and they both got up to leave the great hall. Peter, oblivious as always, got up to go too before James roughly pulled him down.

"What?" The rat asked, afronted.

"They are going to go snog." he said bluntly.

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Oh, please, they are not. They are probably going to go work things out." Lily snapped.

"Want to bet Evans?" James asked. "Two galleons says they end up snogging."

"You are betting on your best friends love lives?" She asked with a raised brow.

"It's not like they'd care." he shrugged. Lily stayed quiet for a moment, then stuck out her hand.

"It's a bet, Potter."


	6. Padfoot and Moony

**Okay, so this is the last chapter I had pre-written, and is a little shorter than the others... What can I say? It is hard writing romance and keeping all the characters believable. Maybe you guys could tell me what you think?**

**Disclaimer:This is getting tedious. I still don't own Harry Potter. **

Renata watched her feet as they walked out of the entrance hall and went onto the grounds. Sirius was likewise quiet until they reached the lake.

"Can you believe those guys?" He finally said, picking up a rock to skip. He flicked it across the water, and it immediately sank with a plop.

"They were just being themselves. You would have done the same if it had happened to anyone else. As long as we ignore them it will die down."

"Or they will go the opposite direction and never let it go. Ever." the animagus grumbled.

"Only if you let them know it bothers you." Renata said, as she picked up a rock and expertly threw it so that it skipped five times.

"Show off."

"You know you love me."

"Bloody werewolf."

"Flea-ridden mutt."

"I do not have fleas!" He protested.

Renata just smiled, and they fell into silence again.

"Why haven't you ever dated anyone, Ren?" Sirius finally asked. His friend looked at him through her eyelashes.

"That is rather obvious, don't you think?" She responded as she sat down before looking away again, across the lake.

"No."

"My lycanthropy, Padfoot."

"Oh..."

Renata looked at her clueless friend as he finally understood. Being a werewolf tended to put a wrench in most relationships. Being a couple required trust, and Renata could not give that away so freely when it came to her secret.

"I guess I wasn't thinking." Sirius said. "But what if it was somebody who already knew? Someone who didn't care?"

Renata was doing her best to curb the the fluttering in her chest and belly. She was intellegent enough to know where this was going, but she also knew Sirius ran through girls like water. A bad relationship could ruin everything. She took a breath to reply.

"I think it would create problems in the long run."

She felt her friend sit down closely beside her so that they brushed against each other.

"I don't want to play, Moony." he said. "I know you know what I am talking about. I like you. Much more than I have ever liked anyone else."

"Sirius-" Renata flushed.

"Let me finish." he begged. "I know we are young, and I know we are both terrified at what this could do to the Marauders. But I'm tired of messing around with other girls while the one I like is so close to me."

"I'm scared." Renny admitted.

"I'm petrified." Sirius said with a nervous laugh. She had never seen him act nervous like this around girls. In fact, she had never seen Sirius so... serious. Not that she would ever say that out loud. That pun grew old first year.

"Well," Renata began. "We aren't Gryiffindors for nothing."

Then she bent over and gave the boy a quick, chaste peck on the lips. She caught sight of her new boyfriend's face as she pulled away and smothered a giggle. He was beaming like a loon, and she could just imagine his tail wagging if it had been there. Two seconds later, she flushed.

"That was my first kiss." she said softly.

"Really?"

The werewolf nodded.

"Well, then allow me to give you your second."

He kissed her again, and put his skill into effect. _Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows were right_, she managed to think through the haze now settling around her, _he does have a talent_. When they pulled away, they both were breathing heavily, and Renata was bright red as Sirius gave a self satisfied smirk. His arrogance was cute. Renny let him put his arm around her and move her so she was leaned up against him.

"James will never let it go now." he said.

"You are lucky. Not only do I have to deal with James, but Lily will explode. She will go on about how you will break my heart, how you are no good, and then refuse to let me step foot in the boys dorm ever again."

Sirius chuckled.

"True. More power to you. But do you honestly think Evans is going to let me get off scot-free? I have a feeling I will be on the receiving end of her red headed temper as well."

"Scared of a girl, Padfoot?" Renny teased.

"Hell yeah. Have you met Evans? She could make the devil go to confession if she tried."

They both laughed.

"But she is right about one thing. I am a bad influence on you." Sirius continued.

"How so?"

"Well, little Miss Prefect is about to be late for class."

"WHAT?"

Ren had no problem with bending rules, or even breaking a few once and a while, but she had never, ever missed a class if she could help it. She missed enough due to full moons. Sirius laughed at her expression as she jumped up and ran towards the castle. He followed his new girlfriend, and clasped her hand before they reached the building.

"Two galleons says James made a bet on us." She said as they ran.

"You are on, Lupin."


	7. Confrontation

**Yay for my first review! Thanks XxMixedXxLoverXx! I will try not to plague you guys asking for reviews, or bribe you for them or what not. But I really would appreciate them if you had an idea, constructive criticism, or encouraging thought. **

**Disclaimer: Can't I just pretend...? No? :'( Okay, I don't own any of this... **

Sirius and Renata ran into Charms class ten minutes late, and accepted Flitwick's deduction of points without complaint. Then they slipped into the only two seats left, Sirius beside James and Renata beside Peter. Frank as ever, the mousy boy turned to his friend, and asked in a whisper,

"Did he kiss you?"

She was unfazed by the bluntness, but the question itself made her blush. Renata nodded with a happy smile as she pulled out her books, pretending to miss Peter's shocked expression. In front of them, James and Sirius looked as if they were having a similar conversation. Her suspicions were confirmed when James jumped to his feet, hands in the air.

"Yes! You owe me two galleons, Evans!" He cried across the room. Lily looked stunned, both by his sudden outburst and by what he was saying.

"Mr. Potter! I would please ask you not to disrupt my class!" Flitwick squeaked. The fury on his face made him look cuter, adorable at most. "Ten points from Gryffindor. One more outburst from you or your friends and you will all be serving detention."

Renata smiled and tapped Sirius on the shoulder. He pretended to scowl as he passed her the winnings.

"You were betting on me?" She heard James ask.

"It's not like you weren't doing the same thing, Prongs." Sirius whispered back. James shrugged, and Renata turned her gaze to Lily. The red-head had a look on her face that was a mixture of disbelief, disappointment, and fury.

After the class was dismissed, Renata attempted to bolt from the room to avoid confrontation. A screech followed after her.

"RENATA JANE LUPIN!"

"Run, Moony, run!" James laughed. Run she did, but even a werewolf seemed helpless under the wrath of Lily Evans. She was cornered out in the corridor, where she had been slowed by the traffic of students leaving class. Lily grabbed hold of her by the strap of her bag, and forced her to stop.

"I cannot believe you!" Lily cried. "I knew you were attracted to him after that display in the Great Hall, but I was certain that you were smarter than this! He is a player, a heartbreaker, shag-them-and-leave-them-type, a Marauder-"

Lily paused mid-rant, seeming to realize whom she was talking to. Renata looked dangerously calm.

"And what is wrong with being a Marauder?" She asked in a cool tone, border-lining on feral.

"N-nothing, I didn't mean _you_, Remmy..."

"Like it or not, I am a Marauder. And Sirius is first and foremost my friend. He wouldn't hurt me like that. I know what I am doing, and I beg you to stay out of it." She snapped. Lily looked thoroughly chastened, and stared down at her hands. Those around them had stopped in the middle of the hallway to watch.

"You have got to be kidding me." Drawled a familiar, but unfriendly voice. Both girls turned to see Severus Snape looking upon them in distaste.

"Someone has finally decided to date you?" he continued.

"Severus!" Lily barked. He ignored his friend and kept his eyes on Renata.

"That is more than you can say, Snivellous." She growled. She normally refrained from baiting Severus, knowing that he was Lily's friend, even if he was a git. But she gave as good as she got, and always eventually got even for whatever insult was thrown her way.

"Who would be desperate enough?" He continued. "No wait, let me guess. Was it Lovegood? Or that Jones fellow? Or are the rumors true and you prefer a girlfriend?"

A resounding slap echoed over the heads of the crowd as Renata lost her self restraint.

"How dare you?" She asked the stunned boy with a handprint now spreading across his face. Lily looked speechless, as if unable to decide to reprimand her Slytherin friend, or her fellow Gryffindor. She was saved from her decision by the arrival of the rest of the Marauders.

"What is going on?" James asked, eyes focusing on the pale, dark haired student in front of them.

Snape looked between each of the four dangerous looking Marauders, scowling. Being a Slytherin and having some sense of self preservation, he didn't say anything.

_Smarter than he looks_, Renata thought. Several seconds of silence prompted Sirius to speak.

"Well? Is there a problem?"

"No problem at all, Black." Snape said smoothly.

"Then I suggest you crawl back into your snake pit, and leave my girlfriend the hell alone."

"You're _girlfriend_?" laughed another voice. "How wonderful. I imagine the stemming drama will be the end of our dear _Marauders_. I doubt the merry little band will survive the break up."

This voice came from a spectator lazily watching the event from afar. He was a seventh year snake by the name of Lucius Malfoy, and was widely regarded as bad news. His style was not that of mindless school bullying, but rather a colder, manipulative cruelty that was difficult to punish and impossible to trace. There were rumors that he had already joined the rising Dark Lord. It was unnerving to have him participate in a school squabble, something that he viewed was petty and beneath himself. His arm was around his girlfriend, Narcissa Black, Sirius' cousin.

"This is what you traded our family for?" She asked. Renata noticed she looked a lot less beautiful when she sneered. "For some two-cent whore and blood traitors?"

Sirius' eyes filled with fury, his knuckles turning white where he grasped his wand.

"Yes, I heard about that." Malfoy nodded. "Such a shame. There is always Regulus to uphold the family name, though. What is he now, twelve?"

"Thirteen." His girlfriend corrected.

"You leave Reg alone." Sirius hissed.

"What? Like you did?" Narcissa asked. Sirius took a step forward, but Renata stopped him. She knew that Reg was the Achille's heel of her new boyfriend. She had met the younger Black a few times, and he was a sweet, mild tempered boy who agreed with his family as much as his older brother did. But all of the courage and vivacity had gone to Padfoot, while Regulus suffered in silent obedience. Sirius had tried to convince his brother to come with him when he ran off the previous summer, but was unsuccessful. He later told her and their friends that leaving his brother had been the hardest part about running from home. The choice still haunted him.

"You can't play big brother if you are not a part of the family anymore." Narcissa continued.

"You bitch!" he yelled, swinging his wand up with a curse on his lips.

Renata grabbed his arm before he could, and started pulling him away. She decided it was best that they depart before Pads started hexing people into next week. James grabbed his other arm, and they both pulled him towards Transfiguration, with Peter following behind.

"Can you believe them?" Sirius hissed. "How dare they-?"

"They just wanted to get under your skin, mate." James said, trying to sooth his enraged best friend.

"Don't listen to them, Padfoot. They are a bunch of inbred bigots." Renata added. This served well to break the tension, since he had calmed down enough to darkly pretend to pout.

"Who are you calling inbred?"

Even when deathly furious, Sirius still found a way to joke. Renata smiled at him, and gently kissed him on the cheek. He took a breath to further calm himself and smiled back before wrapping an arm around her.

"Come on," he said to the three. "Lets go give Minnie hell."


	8. Christmas and New Years

**Thanks Amyb11 for your enthusiasm! It really is great to know people are so excited about my story! This is sort of just a filler chapter, expanding on the relationship. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd be living in a castle in Scotland, not a college dorm.**

Renata knew that most of Hogwarts was in a state of shock. Sirius Black had made it more than a month with the same girl. Now that it was time to go back home for the winter break, it meant that she and Sirius had been dating for around four months, and there was no sign of stopping. Boys started appraising Renata in a new light, wondering what had captured the school's biggest player, and many of the girls now gave her jealous glares that could kill. But all in all, Renny was very pleased with how things were turning out. It was very much the same as it had always been, with the addition of snogging and the occasional wandering hands. Otherwise, the Marauders were the same as ever.

Sirius had his arm around Renata's waist as they walked into an empty compartment, the four of them still laughing about their going away prank. Thanks to some spiked pumpkin juice, half the school had walked around the last day emitting roars whenever they had tried to speak. It was very amusing to see Snivellious roaring to his fellow classmates, unable to understand why nobody could seem to understand him, or why his House was getting increasingly annoyed.

"So all of you are coming over for my parent's New Years Party, right?" James asked for the third time.

"We come every year, Prongs! You don't need to keep asking!" Renny laughed.

"But if you ask again, I promise you I will not attend." Sirius threatened from where he was lying in his girlfriend's lap.

"You live with me, Pads. If you think you are getting out of this you are more delusional than I thought."

The Marauders laughed, and by the time they arrived in Kings Cross, they had promised James five more times to be there.

"There is my mum and dad!" Renata said as they got off the train and went through the barrier to the muggle part of the station. She waved them over.

"Hello darling." her father said, hugging her.

"Welcome home." Her mother added when it was her turn to embrace her daughter. Then Renata winced as her father crossed his arms and peered down at Sirius. Padfoot seemed to flinch away from the glare.

"So. You are the boy dating my little girl."

"Daddy..." Renata groaned.

"Not now, Renny, Daddy is being threatening." he said lightly. "Mr. Black, you have been a friend of my daughter for many years, and I think of you as a very courteous young man who cares about her deeply. But I am warning you right now, that if you hurt my little girl I will hex you so badly that the Ministry will not be able to even identify you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Sirius gulped.

"Good boy."

Christmas morning, Renata was awoken by an owl perched over her.

"Hello there." She said as she stretched and sat up. "Is that for me?" The owl hooted in agreement, and held out his leg with a package tied to it. She thanked the owl and fed him a treat she kept for the purpose, before tearing the paper away from the box. It was from all three of her friends. First was a new book from Peter, _101Magical Prank Spells for the Extreme Joker_, which would no doubt come in handy. They would never dream of using something as unoriginal as a joke from a book, but would serve as good inspiration none the less. James sent her a useful blue quill that worked rather like instant messaging. He got one for each of the Marauders, and whenever someone wrote with it, it would appear on the pages of all the others. But Sirius had gotten her a beautiful necklace of a platinum crescent moon, with _Moony_ engraved on the side in fancy script. She smiled when she saw it and put it on, before going downstairs to her family.

The night of the Potter's party, Renata came out of the shower to find her mother in her room, holding a dress bag.

"What is this?" She asked.

"This is something you may want to considering wearing tonight. You have had the same dress robes for a number of years, and thought you may like to wear an older dress of mine." Her mother smiled as she unzipped the bag. "Close your eyes."

Renata did and let her mother slip the silky dress over her and position her in front of the mirror on her closet door.

"Alright. You may open them now."

Renata opened her eyes and gasped. It looked brand new, most likely due to a preserving charm. It was a muggle dress, in a beautiful Gryffindor red with straps that cut diamond shapes into her skin. She was very pleased to find that her scars still remained difficult to see unless you knew what to look for.

"Oh, it is absolutely beautiful." She gasped, studying it for a moment longer. It fit like a glove, clinging to her sides perfectly. Then she turned and threw her arms around her mother. "Thank you so much! I love it!"

"I thought you might."

Several hours later, she came downstairs with her makeup done, hair fixed, and crescent moon necklace clasped on, to find Sirius in the living room. He seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at her father, who was glaring at him, but his nervousness vanished when he looked up and caught sight of her. Renata blushed. She had never felt more beautiful than at that moment when Sirius was staring at her like that. He cleared his throat as she stopped in front of him.

"Wow, Renny, you look great..."

"So do you, Pads. Shall we go?" She asked before her father could start on another intimidating speech. He nodded and offered her his arm before leading her through the floo.

The other half of the Marauders were chatting on the other side when they came out, but stopped mid-sentence when they caught sight of their friend. Renata blushed as both of their mouths dropped and they imitated dead fish. James found his voice first.

"Merlin, Moony! You're hot!"

Most girls would have been offended, but Renata just laughed while Sirius hit his best friend upside the head. She knew James only had eyes for Lily Evans, and had meant it as a complement.

"He _means_, you look very nice tonight, Renata." Wormy said, rolling his eyes.

"I know. And thank you both." She smiled. Sirius returned his hand to her waist and they walked into the ballroom where the guests were congealing. It was just a normal party, formal, and something out of a Jane Austen book, or perhaps a Disney movie. The Marauders would have loved to have livened it up with their sense of fun, but James had long ago warned them against it. He had tried it once, and found out that this was something not to press his parents with. But regardless, many people from school always attended, and they had plenty of fun recalling pranks and telling stories to the interested listeners. The Marauders never refused an audience. They were allowed a glass of champagne, and Renata danced with each of her friends, as she did every year, although Sirius made sure he was her most frequent partner.

But of course, the biggest difference came with midnight. The party halted and chanted as one, counting down the seconds until midnight.

"...three, two, one, HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Confetti, glitter, and balloons appeared from nowhere and fell from the ceiling, coating the guests as they cheered. Sirius wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and dipped her back, kissing her. She exploded with happiness, kissing him back as James and several others cat-called them. She didn't care. This night was perfect.


	9. Betrayed

**Thanks to all who reviewed! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

It was the morning after the March full moon, and Renata felt worse than she had all year. Even though she had only spent a half dozen full moons with the Marauders, she had grown used to them. Since they had not been with her the night before, she was more battered and broken than ever.

It had started the previous afternoon in the halls when the boys overheard Snape saying something very rude about her and Sirius. They retaliated in a loud way, trading insults. Snape had finally said something about her not being so bad looking any more, and touched on a very lewd idea of Renata in a provocative position in the Slytherin boy's bed. Renata shivered just thinking about it, and was glad she had not been there to hear it in person. She did _not_ need to think of the foul tempered, hook nosed, boy lusting after her. But needless to say, the verbal abuse ended there when Padfoot jumped on him, wands forgotten. James and Peter were likewise disgusted, and wasted no time in joining their friend. The teachers had arrived soon after, taking points from houses and giving a detention to all four boys, to be held that night. So, Renata had been forced to brave the moon on her own.

She groaned and attempted to sit up in the hospital bed. One figure was sitting on a chair beside her, head in his hands. It was clearly James, as she could tell from his mop of untamable hair. But why would James be here alone? Where were Sirius and Peter?

Prongs looked up at the small noise and her movement.

"What is the damage?" She asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Well, you are pretty banged up, obviously, but you will be okay." he said in a tense voice. Yes, something was most definitely wrong.

"James? What is it?"

The boy took a breath.

"Last night during our detentions, something happened between Snape and Sirius. I don't know what happened, but Sirius eventually told him how to get past the Whomping Willow. After we were dismissed, Snape followed his instructions on how to get to you."

Renata's insides turned to ice.

"Oh god! What did I do?" she cried. James grabbed her by the shoulders just as she tried to jump up and forced her to stay sitting.

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything. I stopped him before he could get hurt. But he saw you, Ren. He knows."

Tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks.

"Why? Why did Sirius do that?" she asked.

"Snape described it to the headmaster as a prank." James said.

"A prank? Even Sirius can't be that stupid, I could have bitten him, killed him! And if I had done either I would have been executed by the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures..." Renata began to sob softly thinking about it.

"I know." James growled. She had never seen her friend look so angry, or so betrayed.

"B-but... he couldn't have w-wanted to kill S-Severus. Or me. H-he c-couldn't have..." She stammered. "There was a m-mistake..."

"Who would send someone to a fully grown werewolf without the intention to kill?" James asked, eyes flashing. "I thought he was different..."

"I _am_ different." pleaded a voice. They both turned to look at the hunched, defeated boy standing in the doorway. He didn't look like he had done anything but pace all night long. "Please, I-"

"Save it, Black!" James yelled. Sirius and Renata both flinched at the horrible tone in his voice. "I don't want to hear it! You can't just say you weren't thinking and everything be okay! You could have killed them _both_!"

"James, please let me tell you what happened..."

"No! I don't care how much he provoked you, or how much you didn't mean it! There had to be some corner of your mind that said betraying your friend's secrets was wrong, that sending a kid into danger was wrong, that this could get Renata expelled if Snape doesn't keep his mouth shut! But I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Once a Black, always a Black!"

"James! Don't say things you are going to regret! He is your b-best friend!" Renata pleaded. She was hurt too, but wanted to hear Sirius' side of the story. Surely he was not that careless, not that stupid?

"Please! He hit me with a spell!" Sirius begged. James fell still, the harshness melting from his face for a moment before he covered it up again.

"A spell? And why should we believe you?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Because who are you going to believe, Snivellous or me? I am your best friend!" He cried. "I was polishing the suit of armor, when he came to work on the same one with me and told me he was going to find Renata after our detention to... well, anyway... He asked if I knew where she was. I was about to yell at him when he hit me with a confundus charm. I still don't remember anything after that! I told the headmaster, and he confirmed that Snape's wand had cast the confundus charm earlier that day. He has made him swear not to tell anyone about what he saw. Please believe me, Renny, I would never hurt you like that, not on purpose!"

"I believe you Sirius. I couldn't believe you would do that to anyone." She assured him. Even James looked mollified now, his anger gone.

"Shit, I'm sorry mate..." He groaned, rubbing his neck. "I feel like a right arse now for not just letting you talk in the first place. I should have known even you wouldn't be that stupid. Do you forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me." he mumbled.

"Already have." James said, and Sirius smiled. Renny beckoned her boyfriend over and motioned for him to sit beside her. He did, and put an arm around her waist.

"Where is Wormy?" Renata asked. James rolled his eyes.

"Well he was supposed to be watching Pads, here, to make sure he didn't sneak up to see you." he explained.

"I shook him off somewhere around the third corridor." Sirius said with a grin. "He should be here in about-"

The door was thrown open, and a gasping Wormtail ran inside.

"James! I...lost him... and he... could-" He fell quiet as he saw who was sitting in the bed along with the patient. He jumped.

"He's here!" He squeaked.

"Very astute observation, Wormy." Sirius laughed.

"Don't worry, Peter, Sirius was cursed into telling Snape. Dumbledore confirmed it. He would never betray us." Renata smiled. Padfoot turned to kiss the top of her head.

"Never."

"To business then!" James declared, clapping his hands and sitting down in his chair. "How are we getting back at old Snivellous?"

**I always had a hard time forgiving Sirius for what he did to Severus. I never quite got how anyone could be so stupid as to put anyone in such extreme danger for a prank, and even if he did, why would he put his friend's secret at risk? So I put my own spin on it, one that makes more sense to me.**


	10. Levicorpus

**This chapter is based on what Harry found in Snape's pensive fifth year. I tried to keep it as similar as I could. **

**Thank you Blue Luver 5000 and cuddlyteaddybearslike to smile!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would love it, I do not own Harry Potter.**

Renata forced her friends to tone down their act of revenge. Originally, they had been out for blood, but she was able to remind them that he knew her secret now, and it was best to probably not push him. None of them knew his limits, and he could ruin Renata's life with five words now.

So although they wanted to hex Snivellous into oblivion, they kept their words sharp, but their magic harmless. Snape was subject to tripping-jinks that made him sprawl in front of everyone causing his books to spill from his hands, tongue-tying hexes that made him spew gibberish when he tried to speak, constant color changes for his robes and hair, and a tricky charm that made music follow him around all day. Normal it played something from My Little Pony, or something equally annoying.

The Marauders were hardly satisfied, but reduced to their petty acts not only by Renata's insistence, but also the approaching of O.W.L's. Contrary to popular belief, Renata was not the only one of their group that studied. In fact, since James and Sirius both wanted to become Aurors, they needed top marks to get into the program. Peter had to study twice as much as normal just to get on the same level as everyone else. Therefore the entire school watched the group in awe as they traded pranking and lazying about the grounds for the quiet reclusion of the library.

All of the teachers were quite saddened on the last day of exams.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall as they left the last of the exams. "Loved it," said she smiled briskly. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question." "D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern. "Think I did," said Renata seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: She's sitting on my chair. Two: She's wearing my clothes. Three: Her name's Renata Lupin..."

They all laughed, and then teased Peter for not knowing the answer. He had only spent the last five years being friends with one. James began absently playing with a snitch he had taken from the school supply. He hummed softly, making up his own song as they walked.

"_I snatched the snitch_

_ on the Quidditch pitch_

_ And all the girls adored me,_

_ Except for Evans who ignored me. _

_ But I can see past her frown,_

_ I know she loves me, way deep down,_

_past the part that does abhor me._"

"Prongs!" Sirius interrupted. "I'm bored! Wish it was a full moon..."

Renata smacked him lightly over the head with her transfiguration book, and he had the decency to look ashamed. James sighed and stowed the snitch away, looking around for a way to amuse his friend. His eyes lit up and he gave a disturbing evil smile.

"Well, I think I can help with that. Look who it is." James said as they grew closer to the lake. Snape was sitting by a tree, completely absorbed in his book, and all alone.

"Excellent! Snivellous!" Sirius said, grinning. Renata sighed. _Here they go_, she thought.

"All right, Snivellous?" James said loudly, making his way towards the Slytherin. Snape reacted quickly, taking out his wand, but Prongs was faster.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape's wand shot out and landed in the grass behind him. Several people nearby had gathered at the sign of the fight, and laughed as Snape struggled to get up under the Impediment Jinx that quickly followed. James and Sirius continued to tease Snape as he let out a grumble of swear words.

"Wash out your mouth," James said coldly. "Scourgify." Pink soap bubbles pushed their way past Snape's lips.

"Guys... Just leave him alone." Ren said, shifting uncomfortably as Snape choked.

"We have been too nice with him Moony. It shouldn't matter that he knows about you, Dumbledore told you he made him swear a Wizard's Oath. And he was going after you that night to assault you! Nobody messes with one of our own!" James protested quietly so that the growing crowd of spectators wouldn't hear.

"I know that, but-" Renata sighed as she saw arguing was getting her nowhere. Fortunately, somebody else was there to take up the slack.

"Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around to be faced with the spitfire known as Lily Evans.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?" "Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point for the amusement of those watching, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

Renata rolled her eyes. He was doing nothing to help his case against her.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toe-rag, Potter. Leave him alone." "I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Come on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if I had a choice between you and the giant squid." Lily said cooly.

"Oi!" shouted Sirius. Snape had taken advantage of the Marauder's distraction to dive for his wand.

"Levicorpus!" James cried. The spell hit Snape just before he could grab it, and sent him into the air, hanging by his ankle, his robes falling down over his head.

"Put him DOWN!" Lily screeched. Prongs sighed and dropped Severus to the ground.

"You are lucky Evans is here, Snivellous." He said.

"I don't need help from that filthy little mudblood." the Slytherin spat. A gasp ran through the crowd, and Renata looked quickly at Lily. She looked incredibly hurt at her friend's harsh words.

"Apologize!" James growled, pointing his wand back at the fallen boy. But Lily didn't give him a chance.

"Fine. Next time, I won't bother!" She snapped, turning on her heel and running to the castle. A look of horror crossed Snape's face as he realized what he had done. There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside down in the air.

"Now," James said calmly. "Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's trousers?"

"Prongs, that is enough." Renata snapped, pulling James' wand out of his hands, using her own to make sure Snape landed gently on his feet.

"But Moony..." Sirius pouted.

"But nothing!" She snapped. "You have done enough damage for one day."

They grudgingly followed her back to the castle. As Renata looked back one last time, she saw Snape staring at her murderously.


	11. Casualties of War

**Thanks Blue Luver5000! You are great at responding! Miss ShadowScar and XxMixedXxLoverXx, it's great that I can get such a good reaction from Snape. It is very hard for me to make him unlikeable, since I love him so much, but from you guys I can tell I did my job well. And thank you MollyLea! Just tell me how I should send them to you, and I will start doing that. **

**This is an extremely short chapter I wrote to sort of summarize most of sixth year, and provide some foreshadowing. Sort of a downer...**

Summer could not come fast enough for Renata after all the drama that had occurred. But when it finally did come, it came with repercussions. The second week of the holidays, Sirius showed up at her house, on a motorcycle of all things.

"If you think you are taking my daughter out on that thing, you have another-" My father began, but he stopped as he saw the teenager's face.

"Padfoot? What is it?" Renata asked, pulling her boyfriend away from her parents.

"My Uncle Alphard. He's dead." Sirius said roughly. "H-he had a heart attack yesterday morning."

"Oh, Sirius..." She gasped.

"He left everything to me. And the motorcycle... it was found with some of his things. I-it was going to be my birthday present..."

And then Sirius did something she had only ever seen him do twice before. The first was in their third year, when Regulus had first been sorted into Slytherin, and the resulting argument reduced the younger Black to tears.

The second time had been only last summer, when he had run away from home and had been disowned, forbidden to see his little brother.

And now, for the third time, Sirius Black cried in front of her. Renata did all that she could, taking him into her arms and holding him, running her hands through his hair and did her best to comfort him.

The funeral was a very small affair. Only disowned and ostracized family members came, although Renata was sure she saw Narcissa hiding near the back at one point. All of the Marauders had showed up to support their friend, but Sirius did not cry again. Here, he showed a brave face as he comforted his cousin Andromeda and held his tiny niece, Nymphadora, while her mother went to pieces. Here he was strong. Renata held his hand the entire service, and only let go when he went to go speak hushed and private words over his favorite Uncle before the casket was lowered into the ground.

Alphard Black was only the first of the loses that year. The rising Dark Wizard was causing problems everywhere, and it was impossible to ignore all the power he now had within his grasp. Muggles were dying every day, and even wizards had been targeted, especially those that defied the proclaimed 'Dark Lord'.

The next personal loss came at the end of September. They were already back at school, and were laughing around the breakfast table when the letter arrived for James. He grew pale and stoic as he read it, causing even Lily to ask what was wrong. Prongs didn't answer and left the Great Hall without a word. He didn't show up to any of his classes, and none of his friends could find him. His invisibility cloak gave him a way to hide forever if he didn't want to be found. It wasn't until that night did he finally return to the common room and tell them what happened.

"My dad." He choked. "My dad was called with the other Aurors when a group of Death Eaters started causing havoc in Muggle London. He was hit by a curse and... and it killed him."

It took several months to pull James out of his depression, and even then it was easy to see he was permanently changed. He was no longer the same bubbly and carefree boy he had once been. He had grown up into someone much more mature and serious,

The next loss hit Renata herself. She went back on the Hogwarts express for Christmas only to find her parents were not there to pick her up. Finally she went with Sirius, James, and Mrs. Potter to their house, using their Floo to get home. The two boys followed after her to make sure nothing was wrong, and it was a good thing they did. The house was torn to pieces. Every photo was slashed, every piece of furniture broken, every book torn to shreds, and every possession smashed. Nothing was salvageable. Written repeatedly on the walls were the words: _Run little piggy, run, run, run, runrunrunrunrun... _ Several rips and tears looked like they were made by claws, and all of them had spent enough time around Renata to know that a werewolf made them.

Her parents were never found.


	12. Marauder Summer

**Thanks Blue Luver5000, you were my only review for this chapter, I guess that is what happens when you write a short a depressing part. I know it is sad, but it needed to be done... :(**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter... Well, you get the idea. **

By the time summer came around, everything was on the way to being normal as it could be. James and Sirius still joked and pulled the odd prank, but they were more mature and in better taste. Even Renata had come around and was more or less acting normal again, as their mourning periods more or less ran their course. Peter was very much relieved, not knowing how to act without his friends. It came to no surprise to the Marauders when he started avoiding them during the year. None of the three took it personaly. Peter was socially awkward at the best of times, and really couldn't be expected to know how to deal with three melancholy friends.

The four Marauders boarded the train at the end of the year with a much more somber attitude than previous summers. Renata was doing her best not to think on the fact that she would not be going home to her parents. Although time had scarred over the wounds it had inflicted, the train ride home was proving to crack open the scab and bring around old feelings again. While they were at Hogwarts it was easier to pretend that everything was fine, but going to stay the holidays at the Potter's was a stark reminder of what happened.

Peter seemed to notice his friends moods, so he left before he could say something tactless.

Renata sat down with Sirius' arm around her waist and stared out of the window, contemplating their arrival at King's Cross. Then something occurred to her.

"James?"

"Hmm?"

"Does... Does your mother know about me?" She asked, wondering why she hadn't thought about this before. She had never told Mrs. Potter about her lycanthropy, and she was pretty sure most people would have problems with housing werewolves.

"Oh. Yes, Dumbledore told her when she said she would take you if you had no where else to go. Gave her a right shock, but she is okay with it."

"What am I going to do for full moons?"

"I don't know. I assume she has it all worked out though. Dumbledore would make sure of that." He assured her.

Renata nodded, feeling a little better. At least the biggest issue was out of the way. Hours later, the Hogwarts Express came to a stop at the station. They reunited with Pete again to tell him goodbye, and all three of them went to go find James' mom. Sirius hesitated only when he saw his family tutting over Regulus. Renata gripped her boyfriend's hand to provide some comfort before she pulled him on their way.

"Mom!" James called, waving into the crowd. The Potter matriarch pushed through the mounds of bodies to hug her son.

"James! I missed you so much!" She said, kissing him on the forehead. He didn't pull away as he might have in years before. Renata couldn't fail to notice that Mrs. Potter looked like she had aged since her husbands red hair now had streaks of silver, and her face had more lines. But even so, it was easy to see that she was still a beautiful woman.

"Missed you too, mom." James said before she let go and moved to hug Sirius.

"I swear, will you never stop growing, Sirius Black?" She asked, pretending to scold. He smiled at the woman whom he had made his unofficial mother. Renata had even caught him sending Mrs. Potter a gift on mothers day along with James. Then it was her turn to receive a hug. It was a bit longer than normal, perhaps because her parent's had disappearance was the most recent tragedy, or perhaps because this was the first time she had seen her since she knew of her problem. When she finally let go she smiled at them all again.

"Well, come on you lot. I can't side-apparate all of you, so we will be taking a cab to the Public Floo Network."

The three fourths of the Marauders nodded, and hailed a cab out side. After fifteen minutes they stopped and paid the driver, and then proceeded to the underground. They went to one of the more obscure ticket machines, half hidden under the stairs with an out-of-order sign placed on it. But Mrs. Potter took no mind and fed several galleons through the money slot. It whirred to live, and she selected one way, and then hit the number four when it asked for how many tickets she wanted. Four passes came out of the bottom and the machine moved to the side to reveal an opening. Mrs. Potter and Renata grabbed the boys, who were staring in awe at the subway pulling in the tube. They ducked through the opening and found themselves at the end of a small line leading to a single fireplace. When it was their turn, Mrs. Potter went first to show them what to do. She tore her pass in half, which was actually a small packet, and poured out the Floo powder that was inside. Then she stepped into the fireplace, calling out,

"The Hollow!" before she disappeared. The three followed her example and appeared at the Potter family home right after.

"Well, let's get you settled. Boy's, you are in James' room, and Renata darling, you are in the guest room as usual." She said. "Oh, and Sirius." She said as an afterthought. "I've added a charm to Renata's room to tell me if you enter it alone."

Both Renata and Sirius blushed, but James thought it was hilarious and burst out laughing.

"Letters are here!" James said with an excited bounce. The summer had gone by quickly, and things had started to feel normal. Once after the initial shock of the reminders of the past, the friends had been able to progress and actually enjoy their summer. Peter had stayed over nearly half the time, and the friends reveled in being together, playing Qudditch and swimming like they had in the past.

Renata didn't wait for him to say another word and snatched her envelope from his hand. James and Sirius laughed as she tore into her exam results. Then she squealed and hugged her boyfriend around the neck. She had made all O's and E's, with the exception of Astronomy, since she had missed many lessons due to full moons. She got an A in that class.

"I'm proud of you, Moony." Said Sirius. "Always knew you would do well. "

He and James had also done well, but with fewer O's and more A's on their part. Only after comparing exam scores and proudly presenting them to Mrs. Potter did they open their Hogwarts letters. Renata was reading over the new booklist when she heard James gasp.

"No way..."

Sirius looked up as well.

"What is it mate?"

"I-I..." James held up a badge that came in his letter. " I made Head Boy..."

There was a shocked silence.

"But how? You weren't a Prefect." Sirius asked, bewildered.

"Heads are not always Prefects." Renata explained. " "Of course, they normally are chosen because they have an opportunity to show their responsibility. But occasionally a normal student will be picked."

James looked back down at the badge in awe.

"Did you get a badge too, Moony?" Sirius asked, riffling through her envelope. She shook my head.

"Damn!" Sirius said, fishing two galleons out of his pocket and handing them to James. Renata just laughed.

Later that afternoon, she skipped into the boy's room, a grin on her face and a letter in her hand. Sirius was searching around for who knew what, and James was lying on his back in bed, throwing up a baseball and catching it.

"What are you so happy about?" Sirius smiled.

"Oh, just this letter I got from Lily..." she said.

James froze and his ball came back down, smacking him on the face.

"Lily?" He asked, sitting up, his cheeks red. Renata smiled again and nodded slowly.

"She says she got permission from her parents to go out this weekend to celebrate, and invited me to come with her and some of her friends. She also said that the other Marauders were invited by extension, since she knew you would just show up anyway."

James whooped and jumped up, excitement clear on his face.

"Really?" He asked.

"Really."

"She is going out to celebrate? What is the occasion?" Sirius asked. Renata's smile grew even bigger.

"Oh... Just becoming Head Girl."

James looked frozen again for half a minute. Then he jumped into the air, punching the sky.

"YES!"


	13. Night Out

**Hey guys. Sorry about this, but I looked and realized I had this whole chapter that I never posted. I guess that is what happens when you write ahead...**

** Disclaimers: I do not own **

Renata double checked that she had everything in her bag to go over to Lily's. The girls were meeting over there an hour earlier to get dressed, something which confused Prongs and Padfoot to no end. Renata had given up trying to explain it to them.

"We are going early to practice our kissing on each other before the guys get there." She finally said earlier in frustration. It was fun to see their eyes glaze over as they were overcome with images.

"Really?" Sirius had asked. She smacked him over the head.

"No, you idiot." She said before turning to leave. Before she was out of earshot she heard her boyfriend asking James,

"Did you just think the same thing I did?"

"Moony making out with Lily?"

"Yeah."

"Yup."

Now she went back downstairs to find both boys, still slightly out of it, as if they were lost in fantasies. She rolled her eyes and kissed Sirius on the cheek before going to James and placing a hand on each of his shoulders. He snapped out of his daze to focus on her.

"Tonight is the night, Prongs. Lily has been warming up to you, so don't blow it now. Have fun, be yourself, but don't do anything too crazy or stupid, and try not to be so obnoxious. I know you have a sweet, sensitive side way down there somewhere. I have seen it. So use it."

"It is like you never met James before." Sirius teased lightly. Renata rolled her eyes as she smiled at them both.

"I'll see you in an hour. Remember, we will be with muggles, so nothing too ostentatious, okay?"

They both nodded and waved her off to Mrs. Potter, who happily apparated them to Lily's home.

Renata hardly got used to being on level ground again when she was tackled by a 5'4 bundle of energy with red hair.

"Ren! You're here!"

"I won't be if you kill me..." she gasped.

"Sorry!" She said, letting her friend go. "Come on! Marlene and Alice are upstairs." She then dragged her to her room, passing a sour faced girl as they went whom Renata assumed was Petunia. Then she was taken to a cute room done in blue and purple where two more girls attacked her before they began to get ready in ernest. The other three girls quickly rejected everything Renata had brought with her, and began to throw clothes at her. The dress they finally decided she should wear was something Renata would have never chosen for herself. It was a short sleeved dress with a modest neckline and stopped mid thigh. It was also a dark blue and covered completely in sequins. But once they had forced her into it, she had to admit it did not that bad. Lily even let her borrow some matching heels that took some time getting used to. Then Renata fixed her hair so that it was put up in a bun and several curls escaped around her face. Last but not least was makeup. She went with a simple look, dark eyes and a more neutral color for her lips. When she was done she looked around at her friends and smiled. Lily was in a red tank top and tight black skirt, and Marlene favored a short black dress over leggings. Alice wore a dark purple dress that showed off her back. They were all going to stop the boys heart's tonight.

By the time their hour was up and Mrs. Evans called to tell them the boys were there, they were ready to go. James, Sirius, Peter, and Frank were in the living room trying not to meet eyes with Mr. Evans, who was staring them down. Alice and Renata walked up to their respective boyfriends and saved them from the scrutiny. Sirius' eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"Can you imagine me making out with Lily in this?" she asked. He grew extremely red.

"Oh... uh... You heard that? Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I imagine you and James kissing all the time." So that wasn't exactly true, but she thought it was worth it to see the look on his face. It twisted into a look that was somewhere between disgust and shock, and he made a noise that sounded as if he was coughing something out of his throat. Renata laughed and pulled him outside and into the car Lily was borrowing from her parents. The girls were all muggle-born or half-bloods, and were quite comfortable with the idea of cars, but all of the boys looked at it wearily. Most had never trusted themselves in muggle transportation, and even Sirius' bike had every inch covered with safety spells.

"Oh, come on, you fly fifty feet in the air on nothing but brooms that go just as fast as this car." Lily said, rolling her eyes. "You can't be scared."

"Not scared. Just anxious." James said as he got in, determined not to look bad in front of Lily. Sirius and the others followed close after. Once the boys were shown how to buckle up, Lily pulled out of the driveway and headed toward's their destination. Sirius grew dejected after only a few seconds.

"This isn't nearly as fun as it looked." He pouted, to the mirth of everyone.

When they finally reached the club several miles away, and all filed inside, Renata was able to see Sirius' awed face again at all the college-aged students on the dance floor.

"Come on!" She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the crowd. The others followed them, staying close by. Everyone fell into the dancing easily, and Renata enjoyed having the time to have fun and cut loose with her boyfriend. They danced into the early hours of the morning, happily naming the muggle artists and songs that played for the boys. They even taught got them to dance the Cha Cha Slide when it played.

The night ended with all of them tired and out of breath, and Peter was the slightest bit drunk. They had no idea how he managed to procure drinks without a muggle I.D. and nor was he telling. Renata was personally glad he didn't clue in Padfoot and Prongs. She hadn't forgotten last spring when the boys managed to get hammered over the firewhiskey smuggled from the Potter house' liquor cabinet. Mrs. Potter didn't drink, so sneaking several bottles hadn't been a problem. Renata had taken a glass or two, but the boys didn't stop until the bottles were gone. At first things had been fun, and resulted in the strangest conversations dealing with house-elves in tiaras and obtaining a Griffin to let loose on the school grounds. But things had just gotten awkward after James was wasted enough to ask Sirius how far he and Renata had gone. And Sirius had been wasted enough to answer. It was one of the most mortifying moments of her life. Then Peter made a comment about how pretty and cute she was, which caused Sirius to swing a punch at him. It missed by a full foot, and Sirius landed flat on his face before passing out there on the floor. And since Renata was the only one anywhere near sober, she was the one who had to handle things. Taking care of three drunk Marauders was not her idea of fun.

Peter alone was enough trouble as it was.

As they had planned beforehand, Frank was able to apparate the four of them back to the Potter's. Luckily, Peter had vomited most of the alcohol out of his system at the sensation. Unluckily, it left the Marauders to clean it up as they plotted sinister ways to get back at the rat for their plight.


	14. Beginnings

**Sorry that I have been taking longer than normal... I just had to get caught up with school work. Thank you again Blue Luver5000, and as for XxMixedXxLoverXx, you will find out soon. This story draws to a close...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

Renata could not believe that she was on the Hogwarts Express for the last time. She was of age now, turning seventeen the week before, and at the end of this year would be a fully fledged wizard, and then she could apply for a teaching degree. She could substitute for muggle schools, and tutor, but what she really wanted to do was open a school for young werewolves. It would take a lot of work, a long time to organize, and one hell of a fight with the Ministry, but it would be worth it in the end if she could help children. The thought now brought a smile to her face as she leaned into Sirius. He was humming the song "Werewolves of London". He had discovered it while familiarizing himself with muggle music. He found it hilarious, dubbed it my theme song, and now sang it constantly. It was starting to get old.

"Shut UP, Padfoot!" James cried. Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought so. The dog animagus crossed his arms and pouted.

"Moony likes it. Don't you, Moony?" He asked.

"Nope."

"What! You are supposed to back me up on this one! It's your song!"

"It got old nearly a week and a half ago."

He pouted again and reluctantly fell silent.

"It is our last year, guys. You know we will have to go out with a bang." James said.

"You are Head Boy, Prongs. And we will be busting our butts over the N.E.W.T's. It isn't like we can create havoc like we used to." Renata pointed out.

"Well, that's why I thought we could get it approved by Dumbledore, and have Lily in on it." James explained. "Nothing dangerous, or even a prank, really. Just a way to go out with a bang."

"Did you have something in mind?" Peter asked.

"No, not really. I just really want to do something big, leaving our mark on the whole school."

"Something like a light show?" Renata asked.

"I don't know yet." he admitted.

"We will work on it, mate. We have all year. It will be spectacular! This is _our_ year!" Padfoot promised.

"Definitely." Peter agreed.

"This will also be the year Prongs gets his Flower." Renata teased. James went red, but still had a goofy grin on his face.

"I bet they will be together by Christmas." Sirius said.

"Halloween." Renata disagreed.

"Mid- November." Peter chipped in.

"Two Galleons?" Sirius asked, and the others nodded before shaking hands.

"Pleasure doing business with you gentleman. Seems a shame to be taking your money, though." Renata smiled.

"You wish." Her boyfriend teased.

"We'll see." Renata quipped. "By the way James, don't you have to be meeting Lily to supervise the prefect meeting?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, I wanted to run my idea by her." He said, "I'll see you guys later."

"I'll go too. See some of my friends and give you two some space." Peter said, following after him. Renata smiled and turned towards her boyfriend. He waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh and smack him lightly. He retaliated by kissing her.

"Our last year." Renata sighed again when they finally pulled apart. No matter how many times she said or heard it, it was still difficult to believe.

"I meant what I said. This year is our year." Sirius grinned.

"Watch out, Hogwarts, here we come." Renata smiled.

A few weeks before Halloween, Renata received four Galleons as James proudly and calmly announced to his friends that the elusive Miss Lily Evans had finally agreed to accompany him to Hogsmeade.

"How do you always know these things?" Peter grumbled as he handed her the winnings.

"Instinct." There was a pause. "And Lily may have told me she was warming up to James." she admitted.

"She did? And you are only telling me now?" Prongs groaned.

"What would I tell you for? So you could mess it up?" Renata asked.

"We were swindled, Pete!" Sirius cried, slapping his forehead dramatically.

"What did you expect from a Marauder?" She asked him. He sighed.

"True. I have to remember that you are not as innocent as you look."

"Who, me?" Renata asked with feigned innocence. "Besides, I will give you an opportunity to win it back."

"How?" Sirius asked, a little wary of his girlfriend.

"I bet two galleons that these 'friends' Peter keeps going off to see is a girl." Moony smiled.

"What?" Peter squeaked.

"You are on!" James smiled, and Sirius nodded along with him.

That Christmas, Sirius and Renata did not go back to the Potters. They had both decided that they wanted to see what Christmas at Hogwarts was like before they left, and wanted some time alone together.

The entire Griffyndor house had gone home for the holiday's, and the two Marauders had never seen it empty for so long. But it served their purpose well. Renata was able to give Sirius his Christmas present in privacy. It also led to a wonderfully romantic Christmas morning as they opened presents together. Padfoot insisted that his present be opened last.

"Are you ready?" He asked, exuberantly.

"Yes! Just let me see already!" Renata laughed. He handed her a small box, which she tore into. She paused for a moment at the sight of the contents, and then pulled out the set of keys.

"W-what is this?" She asked.

"Well. I can't live with the Potters forever." Sirius said slowly. "So I have been checking out a small cottage in Dufftown, not far from Hogsmead. It is a really tiny place, and a fixer upper, but I figured we would do that with magic. I put a down payment on it with the money my uncle gave me, and well... I would love nothing more if you would move in with me after graduation."

Renata couldn't find the air to speak, and Sirius began speaking quickly through nerves.

"Of course, I don't want to pressure you or anything, you don't have too, I just thought I would ask and give you the opt-"

She cut him off by kissing him.

"Sirius..." She whispered softly. "I would love nothing better than to move in with you."

**Dufftown is mentioned in the movie the Prisoner of Azkaban and mentioned as not being too far from Hogwarts, so I used it to serve my own purpose. **

**For the rating I gave this, I couldn't really spell out what Renata gave Sirius for Christmas, but those of perverted minds are on the right track.**


	15. Horribly Ugly and Terribly Beautiful

**So... I feel stupid, but I completely left out a chapter I had written. So now that is chapter 13. Sorry about that... This is my last chapter besides the epilogue. Thank you so much for those of you who have stuck with me until the end. **

** Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

The year had been a great one as predicted. Harmless pranks had been pulled, N.E.W.T's had been taken, and Snape had stayed at a relative distance. To the shock of the school's majority, James and Lily were still going strong, as were Sirius and Renata. A lot of bets had been lost. Not many people had enough faith in either of the couples to believe that they could make it to the end of the year.

But they had. And now they faced the very last of their full moons at Hogwarts. Renata was happy to be surrounded by her friends, who laughed and joked around to take her mind off of the pain to come. But tonight, something put her on edge, more so than usual. The house creaked, and she jumped.

"Calm down, Moony. Everything will be okay." Sirius smiled. Not that he could say that for certain. She had dislocated James' leg once, and nearly cleaved Peter in half another time while he was in rat form. Thank god his defensive magic had kicked in to heal most of the damage before the sun rose. Since she and Sirius had gotten together, Moony had tried to _claim_ Padfoot twice a year or more. Renata was mortified every time that particular reaction occurred, and none of the Marauders let her forget it. Each time something drastic happened, Renata begged them not to come back to no avail. They returned every month.

But Renata could not reply to Sirius' optimism as she doubled over in pain and the wolf began to come forth. While she was still coherent she heard the howl of a male werewolf coming from one of the upstairs rooms. She froze in horror, and the boys had matching looks of terror on their faces. How had another wolf gotten into the shack? There was very little possibility that they were friendly, and now all four of them were going to be stuck with a wild werewolf until morning.

Renata fought the change as long as she could, desperate to stay and protect her friends as long as she could. But her efforts were futile. She succumbed to the pressing darkness.

Moony woke to her pack around her, their scents almost completely swamped by the smell of fear. All of their eyes stayed on the door and Moony moved closer to Mate-Dog. She nudged his shoulder as if to ask what was wrong. She could not smell anything over their terror. But she did not have long to wait. There was a low howl of a Male-Wolf, and a snarl as he attacked the door. It splintered under his weight and broke at the hinges, letting a grey wolf twice Moony's size into the room. Her instincts told her that he was her sire and an alpha. Now that he was in the room, the smell of his pheromones was overpowering. He wanted to mate.

**Girl-Pup**, He snarled. **Submit. Mate, mine**,** mate, pups...**

Moony growled right back in defiance. It took every ounce of her will to ignore the order from the alpha. Only the presence of Dog-Mate kept her from allowing herself to be claimed.

_**Submit!**_ He growled again, not used to being ignored. When Moony did not, he leapt forward to attack her and assert his dominance. Pack-Deer ran forward, catching Male-Wolf in the chest with his antlers, and attempted to throw him back. It effectively deterred the alpha, who retaliated by shredding the stag's flanks with his claws before knocking him aside. Pack-Deer stumbled and struggled to stay standing. Male-Wolf looked at Moony with a pleased, feral look.

**Run, little piggy run**. He said, in almost a human-like manner. The words struck a chord in the female wolf. He had killed her birth sire and dam!

**Traitor! Pack murder!** She growled. She would never submit to him, for she knew that if he claimed her now she would be under his control even when Mother-Moon waned. She would not be his gamma or beta, she would not be his mate, would not carry his pups! She leapt at him to the pleasure of the Male-Wolf, who had wanted just that. Moony was no match for him in a fight. Of course, he had been counting on a one on one fight. Rat-Friend had been sitting on her shoulder until now, but now had taken the moment to go for Male-Wolf's eyes. He took a flying jump onto Male-Wolf's snout, who howled in distress as the small creature gouged at the sensitive flesh. He shook his head to dislodge Rat-Friend, but the rodent held on as Dog-Mate sunk his teeth into Male-Wolf's back leg. He howled in pain again, and wounded Pack-Deer too his chance at putting his antlers to use again.

The larger wolf slowly fell, inflicting only half as much damage to them as the pack did him. Yet still neither parties yielded until the sun came up, and the fighting was paused for transformations.

Renata woke with much more pain than she had felt in a long while. She opened her eyes to find that she was not the only one. Peter had various scrapes and bruises coupling a broken noise, and James' back and thighs had been torn to ribbons. Sirius was the victim of several scratches and bites. He remained in dog form, to ensure that he did not gain the curse when he returned to his human form. Memories of the night before were hazy, but she remembered well enough what happened. With a whimper she forced herself to sit up and look at the werewolf on the other side of the room, who was already on his feet. Fenrir Greyback. The man who bit her, who killed her parents, and tonight lied and waited for his chance to force himself on her.

"Good little friends, you have there, Renny." Greyback spat.

"Don't you dare talk to her!" James cried. Padfoot stood between his girlfriend and the werewolf, hair standing up on end and growling dangerously.

"I will talk to her however I want, you hunk of venison." Greyback snarled. "This won't be the end. There is a full moon every month, and little Miss Lupin can't avoid me forever."

He made a move forward as if to fight for her again, when the door opened, revealing Madame Pomphery. She let out a shriek at the sight of the extra people and Greyback took his chance at flight. He ran past the Healer and disappeared from sight. He wasn't found again.

The Marauders managed to hide most of what happened. They told Dumbledore and Madame Pomphery that James and Peter had come that morning to check on Renata, a stray that they presumed was from Hogsmead following them. When they had heard the sounds of distress from inside the shack they had forgone all safety and entered the room with the two werewolves, whom they had tried to keep apart and at bay until the sun rose several minutes later. Renata was sure that neither of them believed one word. For one thing, Madame Pomphery was surely able to tell how much time had passed since the wounds were inflicted. But since it was their last day at Hogwarts, they had forgone the effort to drag the truth from the loyal Marauders and instead focused on berating them for the danger they had put themselves in. They all took the scolding in stride, just happy that the ordeal was over.

Madame Pomphery healed Padfoot, who licked her hand in thanks and then disappeared. Sirius returned a half hour later pretending to have no idea what occurred. Renata was almost positive she had seen the school nurse roll her eyes.

Peter was fixed up fairly quickly as well, but James and Renata had to stay bedridden until noon, which was when the matron pronounced them fit to leave and enjoy the rest of their last full day at school.

Renata held her breath as she waited that night for the feast to end, doing her best to focus on how wonderful today would be rather than the horror of the night before. Today was important to her, and she would not let that monster scare her to the point where her life was put on hold. This was her last feast at Hogwarts ever. She would get on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow morning, and never return to these halls as a student again. Now they sat waiting for the feast to draw to a close. They had been working on this finale all year, even enlisting the help of Dumbledore, Minnie, and Flitwick. Like James had originally said, it was nothing close to a prank, but it was a way to go out with a bang.

Renata sat up straighter as the floating candles began to dim and sink so that they rested on the walls and floors, out of the way. Whispers hissed around the hall as students tried to figure out what was going on. Then people began to look up as one star on the Great Hall ceiling started to grow brighter and brighter. Renata smiled. The star in question was Sirius. It was rather obvious whose idea that had been. The star finally grew so bright that the hall was forced to look away until it dimmed again. When they were able to look back, the entire school gasped. The stars were moving across the sky in a celestial dance, weaving and dipping as music drifted from the walls. The song started out slow and classical, but the chords started getting faster and faster until it became something similar to a rock song, although it kept the same melody. It had been composed by a Hufflepuff friend of Lily's. The stars choreography likewise sped up with the music's tempo, and everyone was enraptured by the mesmerizing sight. A Ravenclaw first year gasped and pointed at the stars started to congeal into four different shapes. Namely, a lion, badger, a raven, and a snake. The figures started out fighting, but soon it became apparent that they were playing with each other. The lion acted like a large cat as it playfully pawed at the swooping bird, and the badger pounced around the snake. The sight of the friendly animals brought a smile to Renata's face. James and Sirius had been all for making the lion eat the snake, but Dumbledore and the other teachers had vetoed that idea. Renata liked this promotion of house unity even better. The animal's playing slowly dwindled to a stop, the raven perching on the badger's back, who lied down between the paws of the lounging lion. The snake curled itself around the lion's neck, and they paused for several moments in their friendly they suddenly exploded into thousands of stars again and returned to their original positions. As they did, a rain of sparkling light rained down from the roof and cascaded around the students.

The applause was deafening, and even the Slytherins looked as if they had enjoyed the light show. But maybe that was because they did not know who was responsible for it. Renata just smiled proudly and let Sirius kiss her.

Things were going to be changing. There was a Dark Lord rising, and a werewolf out for her. Times would become dark. But Renata made a promise to herself that she would not let fear control her. She would fight. This was the only life she had, and she would make certain that she would find times like these that made it worth living.

**So, we are drawing to a close. There will be an epilogue, but then Renata Lupin will be over... *sniff***


	16. Epilogue

**So... this is it... I am so sad, but happy at the same time... Thanks to everyone. I will most likely make a sequel, but it will be after I catch up on some of my other stories. **

Halloween, 1981

Renata Black was sitting at the table in her kitchen at eleven o'clock at night, eating from a can of tuna. She normally couldn't abide the stuff, but since the cravings had started she could not get enough. She smiled happily, running one of her hands over her baby bump.

Her peaceful thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming open and her husband running in, tears coursing down his face. She had only seen him cry four times before. Once when he made Regulus cry. When he was disowned. When his Uncle Alphard passed away. When his little brother turned up dead, only a few days after his eighteenth birthday.

And now.

"Sirius?" She asked.

"No time." He said, grabbing her arm and disapperating. It took Renata a moment to gather her wits from the unannounced trip, and a few seconds longer to figure out that the left half of the smoking house that remained before her belonged to James and Lily.

"Oh, Peter what have you done!" She sobbed. "Where... where are..."

Her question would soon be answered. The hulking form of Hagrid ducked out of the door, holding a tiny, crying bundle in his hands. He spotted them, and Renata noticed that his beetle black eyes shone with tears.

"Dead. Lily and James are dead." he told them. Sirius dropped to his knees, head in his hands, and gave a soul wrenching cry. Silent tears streamed from Renata's face as well, her mouth open in disbelief. Lily and James...? It wasn't possible... Her Prongs... Her beautiful, gentle Prongs and his Flower...

"I am so sorry." Hagrid said, blowing his nose. "I truly am... There weren' two better people..."

"It can't be true... Peter... Why would Peter do that?" Renata asked.

"I'll kill him!" Sirius shouted, his voice breaking. "I'll kill the traitor!"

"Now you jus' leave tha to the Ministry. You got your own wife and babe to think abou'..." Hagrid reminded him. Sirius didn't move as helplessness encased him. Finally, his head shot up.

"Hagrid... please... give us Harry... We're his godparents. We will take care of him." He pleaded.

"Sorry, I canna do tha'. I've got me orders from Dumbledore, I'm to take him to Surrey to go to his Aunt and Uncle's."

"With Petunia?" Renata spat. "She couldn't stand Lily!"

"I'm sorry, but my orders-"

"Rubeus Augustus Hagrid! You give me my godson right now!" she screeched. He was smarter than he looked. He knew it wasn't wise to piss off a pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant werewolf. He tentatively handed her the bundle. Harry's cries lowered in volume once he was in familiar arms.

"Shh, Harry, Moony has got you. Everything will be okay." She whispered before she turned back to Hagrid. "You can tell Dumbledore to come to us if he wishes to, but for now we will be taking Harry home with us. Tell him to start searching for Peter, he was their secret keeper."

Then she gently pulled her husband to his feet, and he wrapped his arms around her, his eyes trailing down to their beautiful little Prongslet, marred only by a gash on his forehead.

"We will take care of you Harry. I swear it." he whispered. Then they disapperated home again, leaving a flabbergasted gamekeeper behind them.


End file.
